Honorary kanker
by The Howling Behemoth
Summary: A scam gone wrong nearly costs Double D his life. It's only thanks to the Kanker sisters that he's alive when everyone else ran away, even his fellow Eds. With a new outlook on life, Edd finds a family with the sisters that he never had. And with Marie, maybe something more. But it seems that many would like to tear his new family apart.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own "Ed, Edd, N Eddy"

 **Falling Apart**

For a fraction of a second, Double D actually thought that he was back in his bed. Nice and cozy in his very organized room. That at any moment, Ed and/or Eddy would be coming to disturb his peace with the latest scam, as was the routine he had grown comfortable with.

Then his over active brain had to kick in and bring him back to his senses. It started with the coppery taste of blood. Then came the eye sight and pain. Then the memories.

 _-5 minutes ago_

"Eddy!" Double D spoke worriedly. "I must insist that you desist with your current ploy!"

"Relax Sock Head." Eddy casually spoke.

"We have just removed ourselves as the social pariahs and are fully accepted into the folds of our peers." Double D continued. "Taking advantage of their newly placed faith could only have catastrophic results!"

"Hey, it's like you said." Eddy spoke, never taking his eyes off of the jar. "We need to get the getting while the getting's good."

"I never said anything of the sort!" Double D denied.

"And what better place than Eddy's Fun Land!" The short boy exclaimed, ignoring his friend's words as he motioned towards the low budget amusement park that they had constructed, well, Double D and Ed had constructed anyway.

Double D sighed as his advice fell onto deaf ears, again. His short friend was gifted with words when he wanted to be, which was only when it involved monetary gain. It was why he was always able to bring back the others, even after constantly angering them. Again. And again. And again.

 _I wonder if we're all insane?_ He thought. _It_ is _the literal definition._

Double D looked at his work and felt pride that he could build something like this with only the barest of equipment. A merry-go round from a strong coil and some off chairs here and there. A water-slide made from nothing more than a large improvised ramp and a long, _long_ series of water hoses. A few games, such as striking a target and win a prize. All so simple yet so impressive.

While it was a source of great pride for Edd, it was also what concerned him. More so than the opinion of his peers, the constructions mattered to him. It was a symbol of his skill and passion, anything wrong with it was his fault. Either through lack of focus, care or just not being skilled enough.

SKREEEE

The sudden and unsettling noise drew Double D from his musings.

It seems that his fear was well placed. The water slide was wobbling to the side, dangerously close to the make-shift merry go round. Yet, caught up in the act of euphoria, non of his peers seemed to notice the danger they were in.

Before he knew it, he was running towards the catastrophe to to warn the others.

"Everyone, everyone! Run! Flee! Escape!" Double D shouted in panic. "The construction is unstable! It's all compromised!"

Double D's frantic shouting and waving drew the attention of the others.

"What's he shouting about?" Nazz asked as she leaned onto her boyfriend.

"Who cares?" Kevin asked. "We've got-"

His words were cut short when the ride they were on began shaking.

Double D had arrived to the ride and froze as the slide actually tilted. Realization hit him that there was nothing he could do. That's when it all came down on him.

 _-Flashback end_

Now the Cul de sac kids were pulling themselves from the wreckage, a little scrapped and dazed but unharmed, for the most part.

All were angry. All were angry at Eddy, for falling for another of his scams.

"You dorks have gone too far!" Kevin roared as he pulled up his sleeve.

"The son of a shepherd will have vengeance on the Ed boys!" Rolf exclaimed. "Prepare yourselves!"

Eddy began to tremble as they began to converge on him. He began looking for an escape route only to see that he was already surrounded.

"...h-help...m...me..."

The voice, weak and broken as it was, cut through every other sound. It drew their attention from the soon to be beating to the wreckage.

"Oh man." Kevin whispered.

Double D was still trapped under everything. He was being crushed by the wreckage of their failed scam.

Their anger was forgotten and replaced with fear. This was too much for them, too real. Before they knew it, they were all running in the same direction.

Almost all of them.

Ed grabbed the edge of something and began pulling for all he was worth. For a moment, Double D was sure that his large friend was going to lift the wreckage from him. There had been times were he had displayed great strength that bordered the unnatural. He could even feel the weight shift slightly as his friend continued to lift. But it did nothing more than shift. It was too much, even for Ed.

 _Oh dear._ Edd thought worriedly. _Why did I not know that such a task would be physically impossible? I hope I haven't taken any substantial damage to my head. Losing just a fraction of my intellect would be a cruel punishment._

"We need to go lumpy!" Eddy shouted as he pulled on his friends coat.

"Double D...help...trouble!" Ed exclaimed as he continued trying to lift the weight.

Eddy began to look around the area for...anything, but found nothing. Nothing but the backs of the rest of the Cul-de sac kids scattering in different directions. It was only a matter of time before this involved adults, and then the blame would fall on him, like it always did.

Last time a scam went this bad, he and the other Eds had to make a break for it away towards his brother. He couldn't get away with something like that for a second time.

Eddy squeezed the jar of money close before making a decision. He grabbed the back of Ed's jacket and began pulling, but his large friend didn't budge. Ed was too focused on the task at hand to notice Eddy trying to lead him away.

"Come on Ed, we can't do anything!" Eddy shouted, drawing his friends attention.

"But Eddy-" Ed pleaded.

"Come on Ed, someone might be coming!" The shorter Ed yelled.

Finally Ed stopped struggling when he registered what Eddy had said. He turned to his short friend who wouldn't stop pulling.

"Adults?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, adults." Eddy spoke, his desperation rising. "Adults are coming!"

Ed hesitated, he didn't want to leave one of his friends. But he had been taught not to be in the way of grown-ups and to listen to them, unless they were strangers. Though he found it confusing when they said that some strangers were good, when they wore badges.

Ed shook his head, trying to clear the stray thoughts. He needed to stay focused on Double D, now was not the time to let his brain wander. The tall Ed looked at his shorter friend and nodded. He didn't want to, but he trusted Eddy, they were friends after all. He'd let the adults handle things.

"We're getting adults!" Ed exclaimed. "Stay right here Double D!"

If he hadn't known Ed as he did, he would have accused him of being a smart aleck. But he did know Ed, he knew that his large friend just didn't know any better.

So Edd laid there. Unable to move, just see his friends leaving in the distance.

. . .

The waiting was the painful part, not unlike the pain of the material piled unto him. It was constant and nothing could truly take his mind off of it for more than a second.

To assure himself that his intelligence hadn't been compromised, and to keep his mind occupied, he began a mental recital. He started by going over every state in his mind alphabetically, then he began to complicated equations in his mind.

Time passed, and Double D found it becoming harder and harder to think. Not from any direct damage to his brain as he initially feared, but because he was struggling to stay awake. Though he didn't dare go to sleep for fear of his life. He might not wake up.

There were over a dozen things that could be wrong, minus the obvious impalement. Who knows how many of his bones had been broken, or shattered. Internal bleeding could be taking place at the moment, it could kill him in a few minutes, or drag on for hours.

As Double D's thoughts continued to wonder on the possible damages, the worse the idea of sleep seemed. But he could still feel the gentle pull at the edge of his conscious mind. His body unconsciously relaxing and refusing to obey. Even his vision was going blurry, black spots filled the edge of his field of vision.

Sleep seemed so inviting...no more pain...no more fear...but he resisted...as best he could.

Where where his friends, he wondered. He was sure they were on their way, with help from professional and responsible adults. He just had to wait a little longer.

...

...

...

Double D didn't know how long he had been out, or even when he fell asleep. Though he was grateful to have woken up at all. The first thing he had noticed was the sky, it was nighttime, he had been unconscious for several hours at least. The second thing he noticed was how nice the stars looked.

 _Wait, why am I still here?_ Double D thought as fear began to rise. _I should be in a hospital! Why hadn't anyone called for an ambulance for me!?_

He distinctively became aware of something moving out of the corner of his eye. At the edge of his vision, he was able to see three figures. As they continued shuffling around him, he began making out who they were.

Kankers!

Double D's initial response to their presence was to try and run, out of pure reflex. However, he found that he couldn't move. He realized that this was concerning. He tried to move his hands or feet, but couldn't cause much more that a twitch.

 _At least it doesn't hurt anymore._ Double D thought as he tried to calm himself only to realize what he thought. It didn't hurt!

That was a bad sign, pain was actually imperative. Lack of it could either be a sign of serious nerve or spinal damage. He began to panic, the thought of never moving again was horrible. True, he had never been the most physically active of people, but that had been by choice. And even he enjoyed the occasional activities, such as swimming and leisure stroll through nature.

 _I-It's okay._ Double D tried to rationalize. _It's not the...the worse thing. You still have your brain, that's all Stephen Hawking ever needed, and look at all he accomplished_.

A thud sound and a shout brought him from his growing despair. It reminded him that he wasn't alone, he was alone with the Kankers.

"Watch where you toss that!" Marie shouted.

 _What are they doing here?_ Double D wondered.

He watched them as best he could, but he was having obvious difficulty. Being unable to move while they continuously moved back and forth made it difficult. Eventually, they moved into his line of sight enough times for him to piece their actions together. The Kanker sisters were moving the rubble from off of him. While none of them could move the debris on their own, they hadn't given up. Working together, they were able to move some of the larger debris that trapped him. They were freeing him from the rubble!

Finally, they got the last of the rubble that trapped him, but gasped at what they saw. One of the pipes had impaled Double D! They had no idea how to handle that. May began to tear up at the sight of the broken boy.

"...the way through him." Lee muttered in shock, bringing his attention back to them.

"We need to get that thing out of him!"

"How!?"

No! He tried to tell them not to remove anything from him, it would only do more harm than good. As hard as it was to believe, having an object impaled inside him was keeping him semi-stable. He tried to warn them, but he was unable to do anything.

It seemed that one of the Kankers had finally noticed his attempt at gaining their attention. May, the youngest Kanker.

The blond had noticed that Double D had been fidgeting a bit, but assumed they were spasms. When she looked closer, she saw that his eyes were open and locked with hers. They were dull, but they wide and focused. His mouth began moving slowly and she realized he was struggling to talk. She knelt to his side, which went unnoticed by her sisters.

"He's talking!" May exclaimed.

The elder Kankers' stopped their arguing to see if their sister had been right, she was. Double D was mumbling, though it was too low for them to hear.

"What's he saying?" Lee asked.

Lee and Marie knelt down with their sister and listened as best they could to the boy. His mumbling made it hard for them to make out, only able to understand bits and pieces.

"He's saying...don't remove it." Marie voiced. "Blood."

"The pipe is keeping the blood from flowing everywhere." May stated in understanding.

"Wow." Lee quipped dryly. "Even when half dead, he's got to be a brainiac."

"Hey, that brainiac is going to make me a rich wife someday!" Marie stated in pride. "Right pudd'n?" She asked, only to get no response, he just stared. "Pudd'n?" Marie leaned in close, worry beginning to fill her again. "Can you hear me Double D?" Marie asked as patted his cheek. "I need you to stay awake!"

Edd flinched from the Kanker's touch, thought not out of his usual fear and/or disgust of human contact. Her hand was burning!

 _Is she feverish?_ Double D wondered. _If so then being out here is the last thing she should be-_

"Jeez!" Marie recoiled, stopping his thoughts. "He's freezing!"

Double D felt dread when she stated that, it wasn't her, it was him. He had been out here for hours, and with no protection other than the clothes he wore. With his already weak body working at such low functions, there was a chance he was suffering from hypothermia.

"Hey, I think I hear something!" May stated as she held a hand to her ears.

"'Bout time they got here!" Lee exclaimed. "We called them ages ago!"

 _The Kankers called for help?_ Double D thought in shock. _What about my friends?_

He could only wonder where Ed and Eddy where. As well as the rest of the Cul de sac kids, they had made an amends after all. Even his big brain couldn't comprehend the fact that they had left him.

* * *

 **Review-Just need 10 to update.**

 **I tried to make this as realistic as possible, I realized that not a lot of people like Ed, Edd, N Eddy to be too _out_ there. No supernatural or scifi. So, let's see how Double D progresses.**

 **THIS IS NOT A HAREM! Double D will be paired with Marie.**


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own "Ed, Edd, N Eddy"

 **I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU ALL! I WAS NOT EXPECTING SO MANY POSITIVE REVIEWS, I HOPE I CAN COUNT ON MORE IN THE FUTURE!**

 **For those following 'Lantern Bearer' I just need one more positive review to update! 10 a chapter!**

 **Quirk: Symbiote has been updated!**

 **Please check 'Revision of Life' It's a 'Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends' story. If you liked this, then I believe you'll like it as well.**

 **Who likes Mortal Kombat? Ten positives and I'll start it.**

 **Who likes OK K.O: Let's be heroes?** **Ten positives and I'll start it.**

* * *

 **Healing**

 **Marie P.O.V**

The blue haired Kanker rushed through the hallway as fast as she could without actually running, she didn't want any complaints and risked being kicked out. She really wanted to see her Oven-mitt and they had finally cleared him for visitors after nearly a week of waiting.

A week. An entire week of waiting to find out if Double D was going to die. The suspense had been eating away at the blue haired girl for the entire time.

 _Come on, come on!_ She mentally urged as she read the room numbers, searching for his. _Finally!_

She had found her Dreamboat's room. Without knocking, the Kanker opened the door and made her way inside.

The room was a classic hospital room and empty of all occupants but Edd and now her. She was happy to see that he noticed her arrival as he turned his head to meet her.

"M-Marie!" Double D muttered. "What're you doing here?"

Seeing him, hearing him speak, it lifted a weight from the blue haired Kanker's heart.

"Aw, is that any way to treat your guardian angel?" Marie asked as leaned in close. "I would've been here sooner, but the Doctor said that only family could visit at the time." Marie stated as she dramatically rolled her eyes.

"Marie tried telling them that she was your future wife, but that didn't fly." A voice stated from the door.

Marie and Double D turned to see Lee standing in the door way.

"Hello, Lee." Edd greeted in a distant manner

Though it couldn't be seen, Lee had raised an eyebrow in confusion. Being her sister gave the middle Kanker that skill. Lifting her hair to get a proper look at him she saw the glazed over look in his eyes, as well as his total sense of relaxation. No one was _that_ relaxed around the Kanker sisters, it was off putting.

"What's wrong with him?" Lee asked.

Now that Lee mentioned it, the blue haired Kanker noticed Edd's condition. Marie didn't know for sure, but she didn't like it. He was too...docile wasn't the word. He reminded her of those stoners in the trailer park. So detached and so far gone from anything sensible.

"Y-You okay there cutie?" Marie asked, worried.

"Is there something wrong?" He wondered out loud.

"...Where's mom and May?" Marie asked, changing the subject.

"Mom's flirting with some Doctor and May's eating some jello." Lee answered as she finally strolled in. "How ya holding up there?"

It took a moment for her to answer. "Fine Lee."

In truth, Marie was fine. Now. Before, not so much. Finding Double D like that was the most horrifying experience of her life. And sheer luck. Even now, with him in the hospital being cared for, she couldn't help but worry for him. The 'What if' playing over and over in her mind.

What if she hadn't gone out when she did?

What if she had gone a different direction?

What if she hadn't been curious of the wreckage?

What if she hadn't made it back to the trailer park in time to get her sisters and/or call an ambulance?

What if they hadn't made it back in time to remove the wreckage from him?

There were so many 'What if' situations in her mind that they had been eating away at her. All of them ended with the exact same results. Double D, her Edd, would be dead. The more she thought about it, the more Marie felt her worry begin to rise. It could have been so much worse!

Before she realized it, she was shaking in her seat.

"Hey, don't go falling apart!" Lee stated. "Your man is right there."

 _Yeah, Edd was fine._ Marie thought.

* * *

 **Edd P.O.V**

The first of his senses to return was sound. He could hear a beeping, steady and rhythmic.

"...He's so still..."

"...up dreamboat!"

"...or else I'll...you know I will..."

Double D didn't know how long he had been 'out' of it, but he realized when he came back.

"Hey!" Someone shouted. "Can you hear me!?"

Lazily, Eddward turned his head to the sound of the voice. It took him a moment to register what he was seeing, all he could really make out was the color blue. Who did he know that wore blue?

 _Wait...where is here?_ Double D wondered. _What happened?_

All at once, the memories began flooding him. The scam, the accident, the being trapped...the very though of it all was making his head hurt. He let lose an involuntary spasm and immediately regretted it as pain shot through his body.

He needed to focus, ground himself. He was hurt, that was something to start with.

Double D began a mental assessment of his body.

He started with his toes, he could wiggle all ten of them. Then his legs, they felt tight and ached, it felt as if something was holding it. His left arm was in the same condition, but his right...he could feel it to well enough. He could even move his fingers. His abdomen wasn't something he could assess to easily, though there was a strange numbing sensation where he had been impaled. No doubt the result of the medication. Finally, his head. Just like his abdomen, he couldn't determine the true extend of the damage, but he could check on his mental capabilities.

Edd then became aware of three distinctive colors floating around. Just at the edge of his vision, blurry and moving. A blue, red and yellow. There was something eerily familiar about them but he honestly couldn't tell what. It was hard for him to focus at the minute. Why was that?

The colors, they were attached to heads, bodies. People. These were people, people that he knew.

As the last of the medicine made it's way out of his system, Double D began to recognize who the colors belonged to. Lee, Marie and May, the Kanker sister. As the realization sat in, he paled.

Kankers. He was alone with the Kanker sisters. Whatever was affecting his mind was gone now as he felt an all too familiar sense of fear fill him.

"H-Hello Marie, Lee, May." Double D greeted nervously.

Double D watched as May placed a vase with a single flower on a table near him. A Helianthus, more commonly known as the Sunflower.

"Thank you May, that's a lovely flower." Double D stated kindly.

 _Stay calm Eddward._ He tried to tell himself. _You're alone with all three Kanker sisters, but they wouldn't do anything while in the hospital, would they?_ He wondered, but he wasn't entirely sure himself. _I should call for help._ He thought as he began inching his hand towards the Nurse call button.

"It seems they took ya off of the drugs." Lee stated once she noticed the fear in his eyes. "I'll just take that." She stated as she grabbed the pager from his hands. "We wouldn't want anyone to ruin our little visit, would we?"

"Yeah, we've been coming here for days to see you." May stated.

"D-Days?" He thought frantically. _I've been visited by the Kanker sisters while completely helpless!?_

"Relax cutie." Lee stated as if reading his mind. "We like our men defenseless, not helpless. It's no fun if he can't _try_ and resist us."

 _Okay Eddward, choose your words carefully._ He thought to himself. _You don't want to anger them._

"N-Not to sound ungrateful for the visit, but..."

"Then don't." Lee spoke, cutting off. "Just enjoy being in the presence of the Kanker sisters."

"W-Well then...please make yourselves at home." He offered.

The Kanker sisters proceeded to take up his offer. Marie actually climbed into the bed with him. Double D went completely still as his personal space was invaded by the middle Kanker. His eyes trailed away, hoping to ignore her and landed on Lee who had taken the only seat in his room and was sitting with a large smile on her face. As if she were enjoying a show. He had quickly averted his gaze to May, who was helping herself to his tray of food.

Now that he had a moment, he decided to look at himself. He saw that his legs were in a hard cast, and so was his left arm. His right arm held an IV. There was several bandages on his person and-

"So where's your folks?" Lee asked, breaking his thoughts.

"I'm not sure." Double D answered, happy to have something to talk about. "Mother and father are likely still out of the country."

"Out of the country?"

"Their work requires that they travel around often." He explained.

"Wait, so they leave you alone?" May asked.

"I'm quite capable of managing myself." Edd stated with a little pride.

"Don't you get lonely?" May asked.

"Not really." He answered. "I usually have Ed and Eddy for company. As well as my personal studies and research to keep me busy. That and maintaining the house takes time. I act-"

"That's right girls!" Marie exclaimed. "He cooks, cleans and smarter than anyone! And he's all mine!"

Double D began to blush again from Marie's declaration, as well as the contact. It seemed that she had tightened her grip in her possessive declaration. It wasn't so much as the pain that bothered him, the medicine was doing a nice job at lessening that. It was the close contact with someone of the opposite sex that was too much for Edd, especially with the given situation.

He tried to remove his arm but Marie held firmly.

Part of his mind went back to the other night, to being trapped under the wreckage. Not being able to move. His heart began beating so fast that he was sure that it had turned the the monitor into an scream.

"I get your heart racing oven...mitt?" Marie spoke mischievously until she actually saw him.

Edd was now sweating profusely and began to shake under Marie's grip. It was such a sight that Marie involuntarily loosened her grip enough for Double D to snatch his hand back.

The Kankers were silent as they watched the brainy Ed breath in and out, watching as he seemed to struggle with himself.

The door slammed open as a Doctor rushed in, a few nurses behind him. The act startles Edd and the sisters enough to actually cause them to jump.

"Hey, what's the big idea!?" Lee demanded.

They took one look at the youths before going straight to the foot of Eddward's bed and lifting up the chart. Seeing the adults had relaxed him, if only a little and seeing the chart raised his curiosity.

"Is that my chart?" Double D asked as he continued to calm himself. "If I may, could I-"

The Doctor gave Double D a cold look before he placed that chart back onto it's holder. Without a word, he left the room. This left a very confused Double D and a snickering trio of Kankers.

"What?" Double D asked, curious. "Have I missed something?"

"The Doctors tried taking your hat off." Marie answered through her chuckles. "Then-" She couldn't finish as she was consumed in laughter.

"You pulled a ruler out of nowhere and bam!" Lee mimicked a striking motion with her hands. "Nearly broke a guys hand!"

"Oh dear!" Double D blushed.

The act of striking the hand that reached for his hat was a reflex he had built up since he began wearing the object. Curiosity was a powerful thing, and his desire for privacy wasn't doing anything to dissuade people. Only five people in the world, not including himself, knew what was under his hat. His parents, the Ed's and of course his Doctor.

The thought of his precious hat caused him to reach up to his head. Thankfully his head was covered, though not with the familiar beanie he was comfortable with. Instead, it was a hospital cap. Where was his precious beanie?

Lee, May and Marie chuckled at his embarrassment before deciding he had enough, for now. The eldest Kanker handed him his chart, well she tossed it to him.

Double D looked over the charts and frowned, before smiling.

"Uh, good news?" Marie asked.

"Relatively speaking, it could-should have been irreparably worse." Double D stated. "No lasting organ damage, thank Heavens, and the internal bleeding has been fixed. I suffered several severe lacerations, a broken bone in my left femur and tibula and left ulna. A light fracture on my right ulna. They'll take time to heal, but they will. The impalement was clean, avoiding my organs and arteries, taken care of while I was unconscious and the healing process has already begun. Additionally-"

"Nerd!" Lee stated, cutting him off.

"Look, I love your big brain, but we don't need a play by play." Marie stated. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Why...yes, I will be fine." Edd answered.

"Good." Marie stated. "Kissing you while you were sleeping isn't the same when the thrill of you waking up isn't there."

Double D did a double take when he registered what the Kanker had just said. Surely she had been joking, just trying to get a reaction from him, as always. That was it, right? Honestly, he didn't know. The look on her face gave nothing away on whether she was joking or not.

"How long are you going to be banged up like this?"

"I'll likely be held up until the end of summer, then I should-"

"Nerd!"

"So are you going to have a cool scar?" May asked.

"Scaring is unavoidable." Double D said sadly.

He wasn't like most boys who saw scars as a sign of being tough. A trophy to be shown off. To him, it was a sign of damage to ones self. Carelessness.

"Come on, let us see!"

As usual, the Kanker sisters were persistent in getting what they wanted, no matter how much he resisted. With a little doing, they managed to coax his gown up and lower his sheets just enough to see his body but preserve his modesty.

"Oh...Double D..."

The looks on their faces filled him with worry. Gone was the playful, almost predatory, smile from the Kankers. It had been replaced by a genuine sense of pity. Even Lee had a grimace on her face as she saw the permanent markings.

Double D had a few small scars on his abdomen that had been stitched and a bandage where he had been impaled, the surgeons had to close up the wound. Along the rest of his body was an array of bruising that covered more of his body. The bruises were already healing, but they were still visible and heartbreaking.

"Marie, Lee, May!" A strong but feminine voice called. "We're leaving! Either get moving or get left behind!"

"Well that's ma." Lee stated as she left.

"See ya later oven mitt." Marie promised as she followed her sister.

"Farewell!" Edd spoke as they left.

* * *

A few days passed in relative peace for Double D. Though, regardless of his countless apologies, the Doctors and apparently a few nurses were still upset about their sore hands. Word had gotten out of the boy with the hat and some where more than a little curious.

To pass the time, he began reading one of the medical books that a nurse was kind enough to bring him. He honestly found it fascinating. He was amazed at how strong, yet fragile, the human body truly was. The little amount of force needed to damage the body, yet the amount it could take and continue enduring was extraordinary.

But even his love of learning couldn't stave off his boredom for long, or the loneliness. He may not have been the most popular person, but he had hoped for a few visitors. His friends or some of his family, he hadn't heard a thing from his parents yet. He wished someone would come.

You know the saying, careful what you wish for.

"Hey oven mitt!"

Double D shrieked and jumped in place at the sudden surprise. He looked to see the grinning face of not one, not two, but all three Kankers. The Kankers began spreading around his room, making themselves at home.

Each day the Kanker sisters had made their way to visit Eddward as he recovered. They kept him company and he was extremely grateful for their kindness, but he was still terrified. They _are_ the Kanker sisters.

"So when are you leaving here?" May asked.

"Well I am able to be released home provided my parents come and bring me home." Edd stated. "Unfortunately, I would be a near invalid and they would have to take care of me. And their work schedule is too demanding, they would never be able to do it."

There was a pause as the sisters shared a look that Double D didn't understand.

"I'm betting his parents are some kind of Lawyers." Marie stated suddenly. "That's why he's such a goody two-shoes. Until I'm finished with him that is."

"Naw, they're definitely Doctors." Lee countered. "It's why he's such a germaphobe."

"Nu-uh." May stated with shake of her head. "They're some kind of scientist."

Eddward couldn't help but chuckle to himself, it was...cute to see the Kankers debating over his parents profession. And that was a thought he never assumed would cross his mind. Kankers and cute in the same sentence, only if the word 'not' was somewhere in the middle.

 _Now Eddward, don't be rude._ He mentally chastised himself. _They've taken time out of their schedule to visit you while you recover._ Plus, he was impressed with their deduction from their knowledge of him as well.

All of their assumptions began to make him curious of them. He was aware that they had various fathers, but that was all he knew. Not once had he seen them when he and his companions ventured to the trailer park, willfully or otherwise. Where they perhaps divorced, or even among the living? Then their was the mother, who too has yet to make an appearance.

He wanted to question them, but felt it would be out of line. Then again, they were so open with their own theories and his curiosity was growing.

"Your curiosity for my parents has me wondering of your own." Edd stated. "You've mentioned the name of your fathers, but I've yet to hear more during our...encounters."

"You mean when we kidnapped you and the other Eds, brought you to our place and sucked-face?"

Edd blushed at the Kanker's casual reminder of such an embarrassing moment. Or rather moments, as there had been multiple times that had happened. Double D coughed into his hand as he tried to fight off the blush.

"Erm, yes. I admit that I am curious of them, as well as your mother."

"Our dads ain't worth mentioning." Lee stated. "They hit the road and we deal without them."

"I'm...sorry." Double D stated awkwardly.

"We ain't." Lee stated with a shrug. "And ma...well, ma is-"

"The best!" May exclaimed.

Instead of being angry at being cut off, Lee smiled. She pulled her youngest sister into a one-armed hug and gave her a playful noogie.

"She is." Lee agreed with Marie nodding in agreement. "Mom could have gotten rid of us, or not cared." Lee stated. "But she didn't, she raised us up, all on her own."

"We ain't got a lot, but we've got each other." Marie spoke.

"Ma taught us that family is what's important." May added. "Don't you think so?"

"Yes, family is important." Double D agreed. "Blood ties are-"

"Family ain't just about blood." Lee stated firmly. "Family are those people who are there for you, through the good and the bad. Simply cause they care for you."

"They simply care for you."

"If you want, you can come home with us?" Marie offered as she batted her eyelashes. "We'll take _good_ care of you!"

Double D blushed at the not so subtle implication of the Kanker sister. You would think that after all this time, he'd be used to it, but he wasn't.

"T-T-Thank you for the kind offer b-but I'd hate for you to lose your summer over me." Double D stated, quickly finding an out he hoped wouldn't offend them.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" May stated. "You'd be an honorary Kanker. Eddward Kanker."

"T-Thank you for the offer, but I enjoy being an Ed." He stated with a nervous smile.

"Where is big Ed?" May asked.

Double D's smile suddenly became a frown, he had been wondering the same thing himself. Where were his friends, where were the other Eds? Where was...anybody?

"I...don't know." He spoke after a minute. "I haven't had any visitors but you."

"Doesn't matter!" Marie stated. "You have the Kanker sisters, aren't we enough company?"

Double D looked at the blue haired Kanker before his eyes traveled to the blond and red head, then he smiled.

"An Honorary Kanker?" He muttered.

 **Review-** **How was it, as good as the first chapter? Next one will be better.**

* * *

 **I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU ALL! I WAS NOT EXPECTING SO MANY POSITIVE REVIEWS, I HOPE I CAN COUNT ON MORE IN THE FUTURE!**

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	3. Chapter 3

I do not own "Ed, Edd N Eddy" My first update of the New Year!

 **House Guests**

Time came and went for Double D. There had been a few more surgeries, but nothing dangerous they had assured him. Not that he remembered anything with the medicine he was given. More time came and he filled that time as best he could. Such as with his reading.

The Kanker Sisters. He found that he enjoyed their appearances greatly. They came at random intervals, but it made each appearance lively and helped him.

Then the day had come, Double D could finally go home. While he had the utmost respect for those in the medical field and the usefulness of hospitals, he had nothing but contempt for being a patient.

With a pair of crutches, he was dismissed home via medical transport. When he finally arrived, Double D smiled at what he had saw.

There were the Kanker Sisters, standing in front of his house with a banner held between the three of them.

Welcome home EDD

As Double D approached the sisters, he was noticed by another.

"Double D!"

The shout had been loud and came from Ed, drawing everyone's attention.

The Cul de Sac kids had originally ignored the trailer trio in favor of their own affairs, hoping they would do the same. However, hearing the nick name had pushed aside their fear for curiosity. The last they had seen of the hat wearing Edd had been a...traumatic moment for all of them.

Ed, the first to notice his friend, charged Double D. Edd found himself lifted from the ground and pulled into a strong hug. As he felt his friends strength, he noticed the others were coming around. Surrounding him. It was tight, too tight. They were too close. It hurt. He couldn't move. His arms were trapped! He couldn't move! He needed to move! He needed out!

"Let me go!" He wheezed against his friends strength, struggling to breath.

"I've missed yo Double D!" Ed cried as he spun around. "Now out duo is a triad as it should be!"

"Let me out!"

Double D thrashed so wildly that it was as if he had no control of his limbs. He just wanted out. Ed didn't understand this, he just wanted to hold his friend again. So while Double D resisted, Ed just tightened his grip. As he did so, he forgot his own strength. His squeezing caused pain to shoot through Double D and make it hard to breath. He felt trapped. And struggled harder. In his struggles, the back of Double D's head smashed into Ed's nose.

With a cry the larger Ed dropped his friend and backed away. Putting his hands to his face, he withdrew them to see a crimson color staining his fingers.

Everyone paused in shock to see Ed bleeding and that it was Double D that had caused it.

"Oh no...I'm a tomato!" Ed cried out.

Any tension that had been forming was washed away by Ed's declaration.

"I've been from the soil for too long!" Ed shouted.

No one knew what to say as they watched the taller Ed run off.

"Alright, everyone get out of here!" Lee ordered.

"Hey, we want to-"

They never got to finish the sentence as May and Marie joined their elder sister ushered them away. More like ran them away with the Kankers right on their heels, laughing at their distress.

. . .

Double D made his way into his house and finally released a sigh of relief. That had been more stressful than he had anticipated.

 _I do hope I haven't caused any serious damage to Ed._ He thought both worriedly and guiltily. Though the way the back of his head throbbed, he doubted he did. _What caused me to act so carelessly?_

Lifting his head up, Double D did a double take of the house. Looking around, he was almost sure that he had entered the wrong house. There were no sticky notes.

 _Hm, strange._ He thought. _Maybe..._

There was a knocking at the door that brought him from his thoughts. With a little difficulty, Double D managed to open it to reveal three familiar faces. Double D watched as the Kankers looked around his home, observing. They had been inside before, but they never had the time to take in the scenery. Then they turned their attention to him.

"Oh!" Double D exclaimed in embarrassment. "I'm being a rude host! Allow me to retrieve some refreshments for yo-"

He had gotten all of two steps before he found himself stopped and, once again, physically raised off of the ground and placed on to the couch.

"You just stay right here." Marie ordered. "We're going to make you a nice Kanker welcome home dinner!"

"That's unnecessary." Double D assured. "I-"

"Nope, this is happening." Marie declared as she held him down. "You just lie back and take your medicine." Then she pushed him down onto his back and smiled savagely at him. "Of course, if you want to think of England, I can-"

"Marie, stop." Lee ordered. No shouting, no physical acts, just words.

Marie finally backed away from Double D and got a good look from him. He was trembling, very badly. This wasn't like his usual shyness when they were around. This was like in the hospital when they had visited him, almost like a panic attack.

They watched as he took a few deep breaths and ease his shaking. Then he began muttering to himself for a moment before sighing and looking at them.

"T-This is ups-setting." Double D stated as he rubbed his trembling hands. "I've seem to have come down with a case of Cleithrophobia."

"Wha-"

"The fear of being trapped." He clarified.

Lee turned to her sister. "Looks like your shotgun wedding ain't happening Marie."

"Still better than your Vegas dream!" She countered on reflex.

Back and forth the jab went between the sisters, making Double D worry. Fearing that they may take their verbal assaults to more than mere words.

"Hey, are we cooking for Marie's man or what!?" May demanded as she made her way to the kitchen.

"Hey, I can cook for him just fine on my own!" Marie shouted as she rushed after her sister.

Deciding to take his medicine, he did as the sisters advised. The bitter pills did have the adverse affect of putting him to sleep. It would be a time before the food was ready, surely he could close his eyes for a few moments.

* * *

 **Kanker P.O.V**

It didn't take long for the sisters to prepare the food. They had decided to just make a few burgers. Marie thought it would be romantic since it was the first thing she had cooked for him when they had first met. She just hoped that this time it went better.

"How's your boy-toy doing?" Lee asked.

Marie peeked out of the door to see Edd was fast asleep on the couch where she had left him. She had to admit, he looked peaceful. No doubt a couch from home was much more comfortable than any hospital bed.

"He's sleeping like a baby."

"Well someone wake him up." The eldest ordered. "Lee Kanker don't make dinner to be wasted."

The blond Kanker wordlessly made her way to the sleeping boy to call him for dinner.

"So I was thinking-"

"SON OF A-"

The two elder sisters froze when they heard their youngest cry out in pain before rushing to her. They saw her nursing her hand as Double D's limp arm hung there with a ruler in hand.

"Tried looking under his hat, didn't you?" Marie smirked.

May just blushed but said nothing as she placed her pained hand behind her back.

"He wouldn't wake up." She stated in a small voice. "Plus his medicine said he'd be asleep all night."

Lee grabbed the bottle from the table and took a look at it before sighing. He would be asleep all night, meaning her food would have to wait.

"He'll be out of it." She stated.

"So what now?" May asked.

"Clean up and roll out." Marie answered. "I'll just put pudd'n to bed."

Reaching under him, Marie lifted him pretty easily. She didn't know if she should be proud of how strong she was, or worried with how light he was. Either way, some Kanker cooking will fix.

"Don't do anything Ma wouldn't!" Lee called after her. "Sleeping ain't consent!"

It was a good thing she had her hands full, otherwise Marie would give her sister a rude gesture.

"It ain't denial either, is it?" She heard May asked.

Marie found his room easily enough, it was labeled after all. And so was everything inside.

Marie had to admit that she was curious as to what was under his hat, just what was he hiding?

The middle Kanker looked around, as if to see if anyone was watching her. She doubt he would mind, especially after all that was done for them. Just as she reached for his hat she noticed one of his hands twitch. Then she remembered the doctors and the consequences of them trying to remove the hat. And May not five minutes ago.

Still, if she was fast enough...and he was on some strong sleeping pills... she looked around once more.

And she planted a kiss on his forehead.

"What did I say about sleep and consent!" Her sister shouted, startling the blue haired Kanker.

Turning, she saw her red headed sister smirking at her. With a smirk of her own, and now with her hands free, she gave that rude gesture she had been denied.

* * *

It was well into the night when Double D finally regained consciousness. The darkness was so dense that even the light of the full moon seemed to be dulled. He looked at the clock and saw that it was well after midnight.

Looking around, he noticed that he wasn't in the living room but in his own bed. It seems that the Kankers had placed him there after the medicine had put him to sleep.

 _That was kind of them._ He thought.

"ED!" A shrill voice broke the silence.

With a little effort, and thanks to the crutches placed next to him, he made his way to his window. There he saw a sight.

"Dig a hole...dig a hole...dig a hole...dig a hole..." Ed spoke.

The words repeated rhythmically with the motion of the shovel as he continued digging. Even from the distance, Double D could see that his friend had dug a sizable crater into the ground. How long had his friend been at the task, Edd wondered. Though a better question would be why he was digging a hole to begin with. Was it a part of Eddy's scam or just one of Ed's quirks that was left unchecked.

"ED, MOM SAYS YOU HAVE TO COME IN!" Sarah shouted.

"I can't Sarah!" Ed retorted. "I have to return to my true mother! I have been away from her for too long! I must return to the nurturing embrace of her fertile soil!"

 _Huh._ Double D thought. _That's...not as strange a it should be._

Turning around, he saw what looked like an outline in the darkness. He thought it was just a trick of the dark and that his eyes needed to adjust, until he saw it move.

"E-excuse me." Double D spoke nervously. "Is someone there?"

"I'm sorry Double D."

Edd froze in fear, there was a complete stranger in his house. He didn't recognize the voice, though he noted how hoarse it was. As if the figure had possibly been shouting...or crying.

"Wha-"

"No one was supposed to get hurt." The figure spoke. "Not seriously. Everyone is usually fine."

"I'm afraid that I don-"

"I was just so _mad_ at you all!" He continued, as if Edd hadn't spoke. "We thought that if we waited until the next scam, we'd be able to get our payback." He stated. "Eddy was always so greedy, so we didn't have to wait long."

 _The scam?_ Double D thought as dread began filling him. _Could this person be insinuating that he...that he and another_ planned _this!?_

"I'm sorry!" The figure exclaimed, as if reading his mind. "I just wanted everything to go back to normal!"

Now the figure was pacing back and forth, his steps as bitter as his tone. Double D faintly hoped that there was no wear on the floor.

"You Eds always messed things up! This was supposed to be the same!" He shouted angrily. "Why did you have to get hurt!?" Double D watched as the figure held something up to his ear, perhaps a communication device. "What...no, but...yeah...yeah! You're right, it is his own fault!"

"Please, can w-"

"This...this is your own fault." The figure spoke before turning back to Double D. "You ran to it! You saw that it was falling and you ran to it!"

"Someone could have been seriously injured."

"They might have been fine!" The figure angrily shouted. "You can't blame me for this! It was your own fault! Everyone saw it! Saw you!"

"If...if you're here out of fear of legal repercussions then-"

"The scam was supposed to be ruined! Everyone would get mad and demand a refund! Eddy would be as stingy as always and then you Eds would get beaten up!" He explained. "Everything would go back to normal!"

Double D had to admit that it was plan Pavlov would be proud of. History of the Eds scamming the Cul de sac kids had proven how that cycle most likely would have went.

But why? Why would this mystery person want this?

"You...it was because of you!" The intruder stood and brandished something towards Double D. A knife. A gun. He couldn't make out what it was in the darkness but he tried backing away. "You ruined all of our planning! Why'd you have to get brave!"

"Please, let's just...put down the weapon." Double D offered.

"Weapon?" The figure questioned before looking at whatever was in his hand before chuckling. It was a morose sound. "It's not a weapon Double D." The figure spoke as he place whatever it was onto the table next to Edd. "It was something I wanted to give you while you were in the hospital."

Double D reached out and after a moment of fumbling, found it. A piece of firm paper, almost like cardboard. "A card?"

He couldn't make out what it said in the darkness, but he could feel indentions on it. Writing.

"I never wanted to hurt you. Or anyone. Except maybe Eddy." He added. "No one would have been sad if Eddy had been hurt."

"I must disagree with you there." Double D stated.

"You're right!" The figure spoke bitterly as he hunched over. "Everyone was so in love with Eddy, weren't they?" He asked bitterly. "It was pity!" He shouted, his anger returning. "Everyone pitied slimy Eddy because his brother was mean to him!"

"I...was simply referring to Ed and I." Double D spoke, hoping to placate him.

The figure let out the bitter chuckle again. "You three were always such good friends...until it counted. I saw them you know, I saw them all after the accident." He spoke. "They all scattered like ants."

"I-It was a traumatic-"

"Except Ed, he actually tried to help you." The figure spoke. "Until Eddy stopped him, he was only watching out for himself though. You shouldn't be mad at me!" He declared. "You should be mad at them! None of them even tried calling for help?"

"Did you?"

The question came out quicker and sharper than he meant, but he had to know. And this conversation was bringing up some unpleasant feelings.

"...No." He admitted. "I was waiting with you. I was waiting on the adults to show up. I...was going to confess. I waited for hours, but no one came. That meant no one called for help. Not Kevin, not Nazz, not Eddy."

"Then-"

"When Marie showed up and saw you...I never heard someone scream like that before."

Scream, he couldn't recall hearing any kind of scream. Let alone from the tough as nails middle Kanker. A scream in surprise, maybe. A shout in anger, definitely. Fear however...it just didn't fit.

"They came back so fast, then the ambulance came."

"I remember th-"

"It's amazing who you can really count on, isn't it?" He asked bitterly. "When the friends you know for years run...when the newest friends accept you...it's the ones who you reject that helps you." The figure spoke. "You crossed the country with Eddy and Ed. The Kanker sisters actually followed to help you. Now they're taking care of you."

Double D was silent, though not from fear of this mysterious person. He was stunned by the fact the Kankers had done so much for the Eds, so much for him.

"They have been nice friends." Edd admitted. A little concerned at how much this person seemed to know about him and the others.

The figure made his way to the Edd's door before stopping and turning back.

"Tell the Kanker sisters to lock the door next time." He advised. "You don't know who you can trust these days."

Even with the intruder gone, Double D was unable to relax. He decided to wait a few more minutes before going out to lock the doors, just to be on the safe side.

As he, with great difficulty, made his way down the stairs he noticed something.

He had noticed a lack of sticky notes when he had entered.

Sure, he had completed them entirely before the accident, but he had thought there would have been a few by now. Heading into the kitchen, he saw that it was just as bare of the notes as the living room. Opening the fridge, and after nearly being blinded, he noticed something else.

All of the food. They were fresh. He had been in the hospital for a few months so some things should have been expired. Yet there was a freshly filled fridge, meaning his parents had restocked. They had been home.

 _Why are there no sticky notes?_ He wondered. A comment from mother or father, maybe a note to wish him well or-There! He saw one, on top of a...burger?

Double D snatched the note and noticed that it wasn't the neat writing style of his mother or father. It was messy and outright careless.

Eat this!

Kanker food dont go to waste!

XOXOXOXO The Kanker sisters!

Double D looked from the note to the burger and back as the intruders words played around in his head. The Kankers had done so much for him. They had saved his life. Stood by him as he healed. Now they were nurturing him. He bit into the burger and was amazed at how delicious it was. Even cold, he found that it was full of flavor and very filling.

"I...owe them so much for their kindness." Edd muttered to himself.

J _ust another thing to thank them for._ He thought. _But how?_

 **Review-Hope the little drama was worth the wait.**

 **COULD YOU ALL CHECK OUT MY TEEN WOLF STORY! I'M GOING TO REVIVE IT! YOU DON'T EVEN NEED TO FOLLOW THE SHOW, ALL OC. FOR THOSE THAT DO, IT'S ABOUT THE DREAD DOCTORS AND CHIMERAS FROM SEASON 5. Review it, please.**

 _ **In a small town, teenagers are taken in the night and experimented on. Their very DNA mixed with supernatural creatures. Days later they emerge transformed and with no memories. Wreaking havoc and spreading terror commanded by an ancient order of para-scientists known only as the Dread Doctors. Mostly OC. The Beast. Chimeras. Based off of Season 5 and the book I wish was real.**_


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